by Ali House
“Then it is very nice to meet you,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m Nathan.”
Cautiously she reached out and shook his hand. “Katherine.” She wondered why she’d given him her full name – she didn’t like being called by her full name. Why hadn’t she given him a fake name? She should have given him a fake name.
“I noticed that your drink is getting low. How about we get out of here and go somewhere else?”
A million thoughts ran through her head in an instant. If she refused to go with him, he might leave and never speak to her again. His speaking to her was a once in a lifetime opportunity, so she should take advantage of it, right? Zenyth would be angry and accuse her of being reckless, but Bryanna had been with him for an evening and nothing had happened to her. So why shouldn’t she go with him? He might have a gun, although she doubted that he was hiding one in that outfit. He might be from Tecken, but they didn’t know this for sure, so she should go and find out, right?
“Sure,” she said.
Leaving the remainder of her drink, she stood up and followed him out of the cafe. As she left she saw Vaughn walking towards the shop, but when he saw her with Nathan he stopped dead in his tracks. Kit wanted to give him a signal to let him know that... She had no idea what she wanted to tell him. That this was an accident? That Nathan had approached her? That she knew that it was stupid to go with him, but she had no other choice? There was no signal for something like that.
Instead she managed to catch his eye and give him her best ‘I have no idea how this happened’ look before turning back to Nathan.
“So what brings you to Stanton?” he said as they walked along the street.
“Work. You?”
“Same. So you’re not from around here?”
She shook her head. She wanted to ask about his job, but she couldn’t be too keen. “I’d rather not talk about it. Stanton is my home now.”
He stared at her, and she was just about to ask him what he was doing when he spoke.
“Briton, right?”
“Is it that obvious?” she asked, frowning.
He laughed. “Nobody from Briton wants to be there – except for Humanists.”
“Hence why I hate talking about it.”
“My apologies. I just,” he paused, “I have a sixth-sense about this kind of thing.”
“So you’re a psychic?” she asked, glad that she could steer the discussion to his job.
He shook his head. “I’m in public relations. It helps if you can read people.”
“Oh,” she said. Was he able to read her? She’d have to be more careful.
“I am also very appreciative of a girl who is not afraid to hit a Humanist,” Nathan said. “There are not many people who would do such a thing.”
“Because it’s against the law?”
“Laws are made to be broken.” He smiled at her.
She smiled back at him. Bryanna had been right in saying that he was cute, and he was definitely charming. If he wasn’t the enemy, and if she didn’t have her eye on someone else, he’d probably sweep her off her feet. It wasn’t every day that Kit was approached by someone like Nathan.
“Is that the art gallery up ahead?” she asked.
“It is. Have you been to the current exhibit?”
She shook her head, trying to forget the night she’d met Frederick. “I don’t go to galleries much.”
“You should. They’re very interesting.”
He talked about the exhibit on their way to the museum. Kit tried to look attentive, but she was only half-listening. She wasn’t sure why she’d lied about going to the exhibit. She wasn’t sure why she’d agreed to go anywhere with him. And a part of her, a very small part, wondered why he hadn’t tried to put his arm around her. He’d had no trouble cozying up to Bryanna. Was she being off-putting? Usually her defenses were up whenever she was around other people, and she was certain that her defenses were at full force now. Maybe he sensed that.
They arrived at the gallery and she tried her best to seem more approachable. Even though she knew that he might be the enemy, she couldn’t help acknowledging how similar their thoughts were. They went through the exhibits slowly, discussing most of the pieces in depth. Nathan spoke a lot about the second room, about how beauty can come from something so destructive, and how sometimes destruction was necessary to see the beauty in the everyday.
Halfway through the exhibit, he put his hand on her back to lead her towards a particular painting and when she didn’t shrug it off he left it there, eventually sliding it around her waist. After the exhibit he suggested a walk through the nearby park.
The sun was beginning to set, colouring the sky in purples and pinks. Kit thought about how beautiful it looked and wondered if Vaughn was out with his camera. Remembering the look on Vaughn’s face earlier, Kit wondered what he was doing right now. It had been hours since she’d left the cafe with Nathan.
“What are you thinking about?” Nathan asked. “You’ve gone all serious on me.”
“Oh, I was just thinking about the exhibit,” she replied. “I keep thinking that if the Church of Humanity had enough power, then they wouldn’t hesitate to stomp out every Elemental. They’d create an even worse war.”
“It’s a wonder why the Council let the Church of Humanity teach its hateful agenda.”
“That’s the Council for you. They’re so worried about avoiding wars that they refuse to realize that there’s discourse all over the Segment. They could put a stop to it all, but they’re too oblivious.”
Kit stopped and leaned back against a tree. She wondered if she was laying it on thick, but in reality this was just a stronger version of something she already felt.
Nathan put his hand against the same tree and leaned in front of her. “There are troubles with every government.”
“But certain governments have fewer troubles than others. How can we expect the Council to understand what’s going on over here when most of them refuse to visit the Segment?”
“Now you’re speaking my language.” He leaned in closer. “I had a feeling that we’d get along.”
“Because I punched someone?”
“Because of who you punched.”
She was suddenly aware of how close Nathan was to her, how empty the park was, and how dark the sky was getting.
He leaned in and kissed her. She should have turned away, but she didn’t. He was a good kisser – probably because of his constant practice with all the women he was seen hanging around – but he also knew that he was good.
“I should be getting home,” she blurted out when the kiss ended.
“Should you?” he smirked.
“My roommate’s expecting me.”
“Your roommate won’t mind if you’re a few minutes late,” he said, leaning in for another kiss.
As they kissed again she felt his hands on her hips, moving her away from the tree and closer to him. She wasn’t sure where to put her hands – where were you supposed to put your hands when kissing someone? Finally she put them on his shoulders, hoping that it was an appropriate spot. The kiss seemed to go on and on. Did normal kisses last this long? She felt one of his hands move lower, pulling her even closer.
She broke away from him, practically breathless. “Woah...”
He leaned in again, going for another kiss.
“Wait,” she said, avoiding his lips. “I always go slow on the first date.”
He laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Date, eh?”
Why had she said that? Why had she called it a date?
“Okay, maybe that’s the wrong word,” she clarified, “but I’ve only just met you.”
“Then I suppose I’ll have to take you out again,” he said.
That was not the reply she had been expecting.
“I guess so,” she replied in what she hoped was a flirtatious voice.
“Friday? Same tea shop, eight o’clock?”
This guy moved fast. She
couldn’t think of any reason to say no, so she agreed.
He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and released her. “See you Friday.”
Kit put a smile on her face. “See you then.”
As she walked away, Kit was aware that Nathan’s eyes were on her. She wanted to run, but that would look suspicious, so she calmly walked out of the park and towards where she’d parked her El-car.
She shouldn’t have agreed to meet him. Maybe she could stand him up. It wasn’t like he had her phone number or knew where she lived.
While she was driving she tried to think if she’d learned anything, but she was still in shock from what had happened. Nathan had approached her; he might be with Tecken; she had plans to see him again; she’d kissed him. This was not what she’d thought her evening would be like.
When she pulled into the driveway she noticed that there were no other vehicles. She wondered where Vaughn was. Why wasn’t he back at the house? Had he followed her? How much had he seen?
As she exited her El-car, she noticed a motorcycle turn onto the street. That had to be Vaughn. He must have been following her, and he was bound to have questions. She quickly ducked into the house.
The living room was empty, so she went straight up to her room. At least she didn’t have to deal with Zenyth or Naydir at the moment – although she’d have to talk to them later. Right now she needed to focus on what had happened. Think about the facts and forget about everything else. What had she learned from her time spent with Nathan?
Her train of thought was distracted by the sound of the front door opening and closing. Vaughn was home. Kit tried not to think about how everyone had reacted to Bryanna’s decision. Of course Bryanna had made the choice to go up to Nathan so the situations were completely different, but Kit had a feeling that some people wouldn’t notice that detail.
The knock on her door came a few minutes later.
“Come in,” she said. She moved in front of the window, as far away from the door as she could get.
“What happened?” Vaughn asked as he entered her room. He closed the door behind him and leaned against it. She could tell that he was holding something back, but didn’t know what it was. Was he angry with her?
She took a deep breath. “So I was sitting at Tea’d, waiting for you, and Nathan walked up to me and introduced himself.”
“He just walked up to you?”
“Because of that incident in the mall with the Humanist. He’d heard about it.”
“So he was looking for you?”
She shrugged. “That’s what he said.”
“And then you left the cafe with him.”
It wasn’t a question, and she didn’t appreciate his matter-of-fact tone. “I didn’t know what else to do. I mean, this was an opportunity to get–”
“An opportunity? Kit, you could have been hurt! You should have waited for me.”
“Why?” she fired back at him. “So I could introduce you to him? So that we could all become best friends and hang out on weekends?”
He didn’t respond.
“I hadn’t expected something like that to happen, so excuse me for not being able to take complete control of the situation.”
“We’re supposed to be lying low. We’re not supposed to hang out with suspected Tecken soldiers.” His anger was rising to the surface, which fueled her own anger.
Why was he so concerned about her safety? Did he think that she couldn’t handle this job, just like everyone else? Her hands tightened into fists. “I had nothing to do with this! Nathan approached me! If you’re so concerned about my safety, you shouldn’t have been late!”
Vaughn’s jaw clenched. “I know.”
“It’s not like I went somewhere unsafe with him. We were in public the entire time.”
“I know,” he said softly.
“And nothing bad happened! I know you all think that I can’t handle myself, but I think I did a pretty good job of it tonight, all things considered!” She turned away from him, frustrated, but then she realized what he had said. Suddenly her anger dissolved. She turned back to him. “So you were following me the entire time?”
He hesitated before nodding. “Right up until you walked away.”
The room was silent, but it was filled with words they both wanted and wouldn’t dare to say.
“What is this really about, Vaughn?” she asked carefully.
He took a step forward and then stopped. He looked at her, then looked over to the wall, and then back to her. “I’m sorry.”
She continued to stare at him.
“I’m not angry at you. I’m angry at myself because I should have been there. If I had been on time, then he never would have approached you. I know Bryanna said that he didn’t have a gun, but what if he did? What if something had gone wrong and he’d hurt you?”
“I knew the risks when I signed up for this.”
“I know,” he said before falling silent again.
Frustration was building up inside of her. Vaughn was still holding something back and she was tired of waiting for him to drag it out. She had to get her own story straight so that she would be prepared to face Zenyth and Naydir.
“Vaughn,” she walked over to him, “I’m sorry, but this conversation isn’t–”
“I like you.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Wha... What?”
“I didn’t want to say anything because that’s not the reason we’re here, and I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, but it was difficult for me to watch you kiss him. But I’m not angry at you, I’m angry at myself. And I’m sorry if I’ve made this awkward, but I owe you an explanation and there it is.”
He waited for her to say something, but she was unable to respond.
“And I’m done.” He turned around and started to open the door.
“Wait!” she called out. He let go of the doorknob and turned back to her. She took a deep breath and looked up at him. “I like you, too.”
Vaughn stepped forward and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the kiss, pressing her body closer to his. His arms moved around her waist, holding her tight.
The kiss, which had started out innocent enough, deepened as their passion rose to the surface. Her hands moved to his waist, sliding underneath his shirt to touch his bare skin. The kiss broke apart momentarily as he pulled his shirt off and tossed it aside. She couldn’t stop touching his skin, feeling the heat and muscle of his body. She wanted–
Suddenly she was aware of his hands at her waist, slipping underneath her shirt.
“No!” She suddenly broke away from him, pulling her shirt down.
Vaughn stepped away from her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t–”
“I can’t,” she said, breathing hard. “I’m sorry. I just... I can’t.”
When she didn’t elaborate, he simply nodded, and without saying a word he picked up his shirt, pulled it back over his head, and walked out of the room.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Nathan smiled to himself as he watched Katherine walk out of the park. She wasn’t like the other women he usually picked up. There was something different about her, something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. She had quite the emotional barrier around herself. It had come down eventually, of course, but it had taken time.
Ever since he’d heard about the mall incident, he knew that he had to find her. She knew what the Humanists were really like, and she would be able to sympathize with his cause. The Church of Humanity pretended to be harmless, but they weren’t. They needed to be stopped before they did something truly terrifying.
In school he’d learned about Archaic Earth, and there were more than enough horror stories. People were killed based on skin colour or hair colour or any other arbitrary feature. Some people used religion to excuse persecuting those with different beliefs. It was very similar to the way the Humanists treated Elementals.
He was glad that Katherine shared his ideals. She could be a great ally when the
time came.
It was still early, but Nathan decided to go home. Normally he wouldn’t have a problem picking up someone else, but he didn’t feel like it tonight. He ignored everyone as he walked through downtown Stanton.
“All alone?” said a voice behind him.
Nathan turned around. Following him was a young man with short grey hair and green eyes.
“You’re alone, too,” Nathan pointed out.
The man smiled. “I’m in between partners. What’s your excuse?”
“You’re a pain in the ass, Christian.”
“I keep telling you to relax. You’ll enjoy it more.”
Nathan laughed. “Hey, I found her.”
Christian raised an eyebrow inquisitively. “Her who?”
“The one that punched out the Humanist in the mall a few weeks ago. I finally found her.”
“Well it’s about time. How many blue haired Electricity Elementals can there be in Stanton?”
“At least four.” Nathan smiled. “I’m seeing her again on Friday.”
Christian paused. “Wait, you saw her tonight, but you’re going home early and you’re seeing her again. What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. I’m taking my time with this one.”
“You failed!” Christian burst out laughing. “I bet she shot you down so fast that it made your head spin.”
“I’m seeing her on Friday,” he pointed out. “That’s the opposite of being shot down.”
“If she shows up.”
Nathan suddenly realized that there was a chance that she wouldn’t show up. He’d assumed that she would show up, but then he remembered how aloof she’d been when they first met. If she didn’t met him on Friday, he’d look like an idiot.
“No, she’s definitely going to be there,” he said confidently, ignoring his doubts.
The men walked towards the apartment building that the ISS had identified as a possible Tecken base.
“Are you seriously done for the night?” Christian asked.
Nathan nodded. “I’m going to see if Adair can get me some footage of the mall fight. Now that I’ve met her, I want to see her in action. I’ve also got a meeting with Jermaine early tomorrow.”
